Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan unveiled a refreshed Agri Welfare Portal intended to make government agricultural schemes and information easier to reach from a mobile phone. The launch was presented as part of the Digital India agenda under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with a focus on reducing obstacles and dependence on intermediaries for farmers.
At the event, Chouhan said online services should allow farmers to interact with government without having to travel between offices. Through the new portal, users will no longer need to search several separate websites for schemes and applications. Farmer Producer Organisations, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, researchers, agricultural scientists and startups will also be able to use this shared platform. The minister called for information to be kept current and accurate, warning that gaps could affect trust. Instructions and navigation must remain understandable for small and marginal farmers, including users with limited formal education. Krishi Vigyan Kendras will organise a training drive to help farmers use the portal and related technology.
The minister thanked the technical team for completing the development on schedule. The platform follows the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology's Digital Brand Identity Manual 3.0 and Guidelines for Indian Government Websites 3.0. It is designed for accessible and secure mobile use and brings initiatives such as PM-KISAN, AgriStack and Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana into a common gateway. Officials present included Agriculture Secretary Atish Chandra, Additional Secretary Pramod Meherda and representatives of the Digital Agriculture Division and National Informatics Centre.
One portal for government programmes: Farmers can find details of relevant schemes, subsidies, rules and online agricultural services together rather than visiting multiple websites.
Clearer applications and payments: Online eligibility information, online applications and Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) payments are intended to improve transparency and minimise intermediaries.
Suitable for rural mobile users: The service is designed to work on affordable smartphones and cope with areas where internet connections are slow or unreliable.
Information for farming decisions: The portal brings together updates on weather, scientific agriculture, seeds, fertilisers and market prices.
Accessibility features: Screen-reader compatibility and straightforward navigation are intended to make the service easier for visually impaired farmers and other people with disabilities.